The announcement, made by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in Moscow, came as a surprise to Western observers and could mark a turning point for the United States' policy of supporting NATO expansion since the collapse of communism in the 1990s.
Speaking in Moscow, Bakiev confirmed that his government had decided that "the time has come to close this military base on our country's soil".
"You will probably see the media reports on this tomorrow or the following day. Kyrgyzstan will now begin following the procedures in accordance with the government decision to close this base," Bakiev said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev confirmed the announcement at a press conference in Moscow, announcing generous economic aid for its neighbour.
"According to the documents we have just signed, Russia will accord Kyrgyzstan loans for a total $2 billion and will provide $150 million in financial aid," he said.
The base, which is located at the Manas civilian airport near Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, is an important facility, home to the tanker planes that refuel warplanes flying over Afghanistan. It was leased to the US in 2001, at the beginning of the military campaign in Afghanistan following the September 11 terrorist attacks on US soil.
Russian deputy foreign minister triumphant
A triumphant Russian deputy foreign minister gave a telephone press conference from Moscow to foreign journalists on Wednesday (4 February). Grigori Karasin insisted that the massive financial support Moscow gave to the impoverished former Soviet Republic was a completely separate issue from the closure of the US airbase.
Responding to a question from EurActiv, Karasin dismissed suggestions that Moscow's strategy was to provide bases for US Afghan operations in exchange for Washington abandoning its anti-ballistic missile (ABM) shield.
"Your view is a bit cynical and straightforward," he said. "We live in a much more complicated world."
But he then added: "But obviously, we live in a world which is so interconnected, and where too many countries think in different ways, including countries of Central Asia. Afghanistan is a separate story, and ABM is something else."
"So we shouldn't make the discussion of these issues in a straightforward way. We should rely more on experts, sober-minded politicians, and from that point of view, the ideas which were announced in recent days by president Obama, were received as an invitation for joint thinking and joint actions," the Russian diplomat said, speaking in English.
